Instant Pot Tortellini Soup. This is a hearty Instant Pot soup recipe, loaded with cheesy tortellini, sausage, and vegetables. Pressure cook your own chicken broth for the best soup, or use store-bought chicken broth if you're in a hurry.
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I'm always a fan of cozy fall soups, so when I saw a picture of tortellini soup go by on Instagram, I had to make it myself. This is an updated version of my Instant Pot Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Tortellini Soup, using my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken broth instead of turkey broth.
Ingredients
Chicken Broth (optional, substitute store-bought reduced-sodium chicken broth)
- 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, chicken breasts removed for another use
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 carrot, scrubbed and broken in half
- 1 stalk celery, scrubbed and broken in half
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 cups water
Tortellini Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled, halved, and cut into thin rounds
- 1 large rib of celery, cut crosswise into thin slices
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 8 cups chicken broth (from above, or use store-bought low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- 9- to 12 ounces of cheese tortellini (fresh, frozen, or dried)
- A big handful of fresh baby spinach (about 2 cups)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Shredded parmesan cheese (for garnish)
- Fresh parsley, sliced thin (for garnish)
How to make Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
Optional: Pressure cook the broth for 60 minutes with a Natural Release
(For more details, see my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth Recipe. Or for cheaper ingredients, see my Instant Pot Chicken Broth Recipe.) Put the rotisserie chicken carcass into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to the pressure cooker pot, then add the water. Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally – about 30 minutes. (It takes a long time for all that water to cool off. If you're in a hurry, let the pressure come down for at least 20 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.) Scoop the bones and vegetables out of the pot with a slotted spoon and discard. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Reserve the broth for the soup; you should have about 8 cups of broth. (You can do this step ahead of time, and the broth can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months).
Sauté the aromatics
Wipe out the pot (if you are continuing immediately from the previous step). Add the olive oil and butter, and set the pot to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). When the butter melts and stops foaming, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon of salt and the red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Italian Seasoning and a tablespoon of tomato paste, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
Cook the sausage
Add the Italian sausage to the pot. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, breaking it up as it cooks, and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing sticks and burns. Cook the sausage until it just loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.
Tomatoes and broth into the pot
Pour in the can of tomatoes and then the chicken broth. If you are using homemade broth, stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.
Pressure cook the soup for 10 minutes with a quick-release
Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure once the cooking time is over. (If you're not in a hurry, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes.)
Simmer to cook the tortellini and spinach
Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Set the pot back to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat on a stovetop PC), and cover the pot with a non-pressure lid if you have one. Wait for the pot to come back to a simmer, about 3 minutes - the broth is already very hot from the pressure cooking. Add the tortellini and baby spinach, adjust Sauté mode to low (medium-low heat in a stovetop PC), and simmer for the time on the tortellini package (I've seen as low as 3 minutes for fresh and up to 10 minutes for dried tortellini). When the tortellini are tender, stir in the ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper.
Serve
Ladle the soup into bowls, and (optionally) sprinkle some grated parmesan and minced parsley on top. Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions
Homemade chicken broth vs Store-bought
Homemade chicken broth is fantastic and adds body to this soup. And, it's easy if you have a pressure cooker. I use a short version of my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth in this recipe, using a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store; for a cheaper broth, use my regular Instant Pot Chicken Broth which uses cheap chicken backs from the store.
If you are in a hurry, though, store-bought reduced-sodium chicken broth will work fine. This soup is better with homemade broth—everything is better with homemade broth—but there are enough other flavors in this soup to cover for store-bought broth.
Fresh tortellini vs frozen tortellini vs dried tortellini
I usually use fresh cheese tortellini, because I see them in a refrigerator case at the front of my local grocery store. But, I've had success with dry tortellini and frozen tortellini in this recipe. Just simmer them for as long as the bag instructions recommend.
Spicy soup
If you want a spicy soup, use hot Italian sausage, or increase the red pepper flakes to 1 teaspoon, or both. If you don't want any heat, skip the red pepper flakes.
Vegetarian or Vegan Soup
If you want vegetarian soup, replace the chicken broth with Instant Pot Vegetable Broth or store-bought vegetable broth, and skip the sausage. Substitute a tablespoon of olive oil for the butter to make it vegan.
Extra vegetable soup
If you want more vegetables, add them in! Tough vegetables that need time to simmer, like green beans or chunks of sweet potato, should go in with the broth and get pressure cooked. Tender leafy vegetables, like arugula or Swiss chard, should go in with the fresh spinach and tortellini for a quick simmer.
Equipment
A fine mesh strainer (for the broth)
A flat-edged wooden spoon (to scrape and stir and make sure nothing is sticking to the pot)
Scaling
This recipe doubles easily, but you will need an 8-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same amount of time to cook the soup, no matter how much you have in the pot.
Make ahead soup
If you need to make this on a busy weeknight, you can make the broth, refrigerate it for a few days, or freeze it for months. It's also a great way to use up any leftover chicken or turkey broth you have in the freezer. (What, I'm the only one who freezes big batches of broth?)
Or, if you make the entire pot of soup a day or two ahead, you can reheat it and serve.
Storing leftover tortellini soup
Soup makes great leftovers—it tastes every bit as good the next day. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I freeze leftover soup in 2-cup containers, so I have grab-and-go lunch-sized servings when needed.
What to Serve with Tortellini Soup
Serve this hearty soup with a salad and some bread, and have a nice, warm dinner for a cold evening.
Print
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 cups of soup 1x
Description
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup. This is a hearty Instant Pot soup recipe, loaded with cheesy tortellini, sausage, and vegetables. Pressure cook your own chicken broth for the best soup, or use store-bought chicken broth if you're in a hurry.
Ingredients
Chicken Broth (Optional, Substitute Store-Bought Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth)
- 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, chicken breasts removed for another use
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 carrot, scrubbed and broken in half
- 1 rib of celery, scrubbed and broken in half
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 cups water
Tortellini Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled, halved, and cut into thin rounds
- 1 large rib of celery, cut crosswise into thin slices
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 8 cups chicken broth (from above, or use store-bought low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- 9- to 12 ounces of cheese tortellini (fresh, frozen, or dried)
- A big handful of fresh baby spinach (about 2 cups)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Shredded parmesan cheese (for garnish)
- Fresh parsley, sliced thin (for garnish)
Instructions
- Optional: Homemade Chicken Broth (Pressure Cook for 60 Minutes With a Natural Release): (For more details, see my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth Recipe. Or for cheaper ingredients, see my Instant Pot Chicken Broth Recipe.) Put the rotisserie chicken carcass into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to the pressure cooker pot, then add the water. Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally – about 30 minutes. (It takes a long time for all that water to cool off. If you're in a hurry, let the pressure come down for at least 20 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.) Scoop the bones and vegetables out of the pot with a slotted spoon and discard. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Reserve the broth for the soup; you should have about 8 cups of broth. (You can do this step ahead of time, and the broth can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months).
- Sauté the Aromatics: Wipe out the pot (if you are continuing immediately from the previous step). Add the olive oil and butter, and set the pot to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). When the butter melts and stops foaming, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon of salt and the red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Italian Seasoning and a tablespoon of tomato paste, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
- Cook the Sausage: Add the Italian sausage to the pot. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, breaking it up as it cooks, and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing sticks and burns. Cook the sausage until it just loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.
- Tomatoes and Broth Into the Pot: Pour in the can of tomatoes and then the chicken broth. If you are using homemade broth, stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.
- Pressure Cook the Soup for 10 Minutes With a Quick release: Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure once the cooking time is over. (If you're not in a hurry, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes.)
- Simmer the Tortellini and Spinach: Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Set the pot back to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat on a stovetop PC), and cover the pot with a non-pressure lid if you have one. Wait for the pot to come back to a simmer, about 3 minutes - the broth is already very hot from the pressure cooking. Add the tortellini and baby spinach, adjust Sauté mode to low (medium-low heat in a stovetop PC), and simmer for the time on the tortellini package (I've seen as low as 3 minutes for fresh and up to 10 minutes for dried tortellini). When the tortellini are tender, stir in the ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, and (optionally) sprinkle some grated parmesan and minced parsley on top. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
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Mike V @ DadCooksDinner
Try it, it's fantastic!